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Storm surges pose real problems for Lowcountry residents

Posted: June 15, 2011 - 11:20pm

SUNNYSIDE UP

BINGO SAYS

Sometime ago I bemoaned the fact that while neighbor Skip was here we went for long walks and had all sorts of great adventures. He went home to Canada, and since then my only adventures have been at the dog park playing with other dogs. Of course it was phantasm and these adventures existed in my head only. Let's face it, watching a squirrel run up a tree is interesting, but if you can't follow, you can only stand there and look up into the sky. Heck, I don't even try to climb a tree ever since Carl told me that dogs can't do that.

However, I have found that my late nighttime walks can provides some adventures. I stop for rabbits that just sit there pretending to be dead, or try or get at armadillos digging up the neighbor's yard. Sometimes The Beloved and I even see deer. At first I had no idea what to do about them. They are too big to be caught by me, even if they didn't disappear into the woods as soon as we approach.

Almost every night three or four deer visit our backyard, and to Carl's chagrin, dine on the few flowers still growing there. It seems his Rose of Sharon and his Star of Texas are just part of a salad bowl they enjoy for supper. I think it would require a human hunter to take action. But it's fun to just dream about chasing them through the woods. Oh well, rabbits are my game.

CARL SAYS

Bingo, you chasing a deer is the same as another dog chasing a car. If it ever caught one, it wouldn't know what to do with it. However, keep dreaming.

Anyway last week. I talked about hurricanes, leaving early, and inundation of Sun City during a Category 5 storm.

Last night we received an email from our neighborhood representative (Lenora). It had a SLOSH (Sea, Lakes, Overland Surges) map for Sun City attached. The map shows that Sun City will be flooded during a Category 3 storm.

We don't have to wait for a Category 5 to go boating on our streets. Just imagine our homes will all have waterfront footage.

At high tide and a full moon the surge will be considerably higher than at other stages of the tide and moon. Still thinking about staying? Emergency personnel will be evacuated and 911 will be shut down. There will be nobody here to help you while you sit on your roof until after the storm has passed and rescue teams can check your house, maybe several days later.

In any case, check your flood insurance. Your homeowner's policy will probably not cover you. Flood insurance must be in effect for at least 30 days to become effective. You can't wait until a hurricane is just off the coast.

Leave early. It may be a hassle but it will be your best course of action.

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For those that would like to know, a link for the SLOSH Model for the area south of the Broad is below. It is a PDF file and I found the best "View" size to be 75%. It down loaded defaulted to about 20% and was a tiny block on the lower right.

As the chart says, these models are hypothetical and may not be accurate for any given storm. Lots of variables, like the tide height when the storm enters the coast, which can make 7 feet difference between low and high tide. Other variables are the ground speed of the eye. A slow moving storm will flood more than a fast one like Hugo was. Another is the distance to any large body of water. The surge flows in on the rivers and follows the tidal creeks. It takes awhile for even a normal tide to travel at the average 4 MPH, but a storm surge travels faster.

Anyway, flood insurance is a good move for protection anywhere in Beaufort County.